South Africa were pretty and effective in pink as they took the series lead in a thriller at the Wanderers. But they almost saw red as Shahid Afridi scored his first half-century since February last year to keep Pakistan in the game well into its latter stages.

Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers shared a record third-wicket stand of 238 and scored at 7.84 to the over to set Pakistan a massive target before South Africa's bowlers used variation to stub out any chance of a successful chase.

After taking a bruising the field, with the third seamer Wahab Riaz conceding 93 runs, the most number of runs by a Pakistan bowler in an ODI, they needed someone to bat through. Mohammed Hafeez appeared the man up for the task with an aggressive half-century, but middle order wobbles meant it was up to Afridi to bludgeon the team home and he almost did.

To begin with, at 26 for 2, having faced 48 dot balls in 10 overs, it did not look as though South Africa would post a 300-plus score. It took 14 balls before they recorded their first run and both Graeme Smith and Colin Ingram grew impatient with the difficulties of contending with extra bounce from Mohammad Irfan and movement into the right-hander from Junaid Khan.

Hashim Amla was given out lbw off Junaid's second ball but it was found to have pitched just outside leg on review. That was one of the lifelines given to Amla, the other came when he was dropped on 36, edging to point after a somewhat shaky start.

Amla had de Villiers' boundless energy to keep the run-rate moving while he settled in and when he did, Pakistan were left to rue their generosity. De Villiers showed his intent as he arrived at the crease when he broke a boundary drought that had lasted 36 balls, and he did not stop there.

Misbah-ul-Haq saved Saeed Ajmal until the half-way point in the innings, and de Villiers and Amla tucked in. They brought out a range of shots as eyecatching as the pink kit they were wearing and a reminder of why they are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world. They had it all: sweeps, reverse-sweeps, lofts, pushes, glances and cuts, all expertly timed and sprinkled with delicate touches.

De Villiers twirled his wrists to beat point and third man and moved across his off-stump to ramp Wahab over short-fine. He fell in the process but never lost control of the shot. His back-to-back sixes off Hafeez, a slog sweep and then a smash over extra cover were arguably the best of his innovative knock. His century came off 87 deliveries.

Amla's was also scored at better than a run a ball, his taking 99 balls. Placement was his hallmark as he peppered the covers with beautiful drives. He mixed that with aggression, evident in his smack off Afridi over long-off. His footwork, especially his dance across the offstump to hit on the on-side, remained unmatched for its quality.

Smart stats

Hashim Amla's century is his 11th in ODIs and second against Pakistan. He has now scored 3411 runs at an average of 58.81 and strike rate of 92.18.

Amla's average of 58.81 is the highest among batsmen with 3000-plus ODI runs. His strike rate is also seventh on the list.

AB de Villiers' 128 is his third-highest score in ODIs and his second century against Pakistan (14th overall). It is also the highest score by a wicketkeeper captain in ODIs.

The 238-run stand between Amla and De Villiers is the highest ever for South Africa. It is also the highest third-wicket stand in ODIs.

The partnership run-rate (7.84) is the highest ever for South Africa and the eighth-highest overall (200-plus stands). It is also the highest run-rate for a 200-plus stand against Pakistan.

South Africa's 343 is their second-highest total against Pakistan in ODIs. Their highest (392) came in Centurion in 2007.

Pakistan have now lost on four occasions despite scoring over 300 while chasing. Only India (six defeats) have lost more often after scoring more than 300 in the second innings.

Shahid Afridi's 88 is his 34th half-century in ODIs. The strike rate of 183.33 is his second-highest for a fifty-plus score against South Africa.

The number of sixes hit by Afridi (7) is his joint fourth-highest in an innings. Only three other batsmen have hit more sixes in an innings against South Africa.

The match aggregate of 652 runs is the second-highest in Johannesburg (highest is 872 runs) and the fourth-highest in a game in South Africa.

The number of runs conceded by Wahab Riaz (93) is the highest ever by a Pakistan bowler in ODIs. The previous highest was 92 by Naved-ul-Hasan in Centurion in 2007.

As the stand grew and the pair threw caution to the wind, they both fell. Amla was caught at extra cover and de Villiers top-edged to midwicket after bringing up the 300. Their dismissals would have done nothing to lift Pakistan, though. Faf du Plessis promptly recorded the most expensive over of the innings when he dispatched Wahab for 20 runs and his cameo ensured Pakistan would have a big battle on their hands.

They stuttered from the get-go when Nasir Jamshed gave away his wicket, chipping a good length, slower ball to mid-off.

Kamran Akmal was promoted up the order again, a move that brought some success. He pouched on width from Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Steyn's short ball. There was still a degree of circumspection to his and Hafeez's approach but they scored fairly quickly for the 13 overs they were together.

They accumulated 82 runs and found the boundary 13 times, Hafeez hitting back to back sixes off Robin Peterson to bring up his half-century. Hafeez and Kamran took Pakistan to three runs short of a 100 inside 17 overs before Akmal tried to upper cut a Ryan McLaren slower bouncer but edged behind.

Hafeez retreated into a shell once Younis Khan arrived and eventually the frustration boiled over. He holed out to mid-on off Robin Peterson, where Steyn, who has dismissed him five times all told on the tour, was waiting. South African celebrations were wild as they thought they had removed the biggest threat.

But there was another to come. Afridi showed some of his boom boom in the first ODI in Bloemfontein but brought the rest to Johannesburg. None of the seamers executed the yorker Allan Donald promised they had been practicing and offered Afridi length, which he lapped up. He cleared the boundary, over mid-wicket and long-off, four times to get South African nerves jangling as he brought up a half-century off 31 balls.

Misbah's dismissal did not stop him, if anything, it only spurred him on. Despite carrying a bruised thumb after being hit by Steyn, he swatted four more boundaries before inside-edging onto his stumps off a McLaren low full toss on 73. Replays showed it was a no-ball.

Afridi made a mockery of McLaren's free-hit delivery, smoking him for what could be the biggest six seen at the Wanderers. The ball landed on the roof of the stand at the Golf Course End and then rolled over it.

In the next over, Afridi was dropped by Smith at deep extra cover but his luck eventually ran out. Tsotsobe still missed the yorker length and offered a full toss, which Afridi hit to long-off where McLaren took the catch. He checked for a no-ball because of the height but the delivery was legitimate and an entertaining knock ended with Pakistan still needing 100 runs to win.

It was expected to be a bridge too far but Wahab came close to crossing it. He batted for seven overs with Saeed Ajmal, putting on 38 runs to set up a final assault. When Ajmal was caught at mid-off, Wahab kept going, placing his shots well and finding gaps.

Junaid Khan also abandoned him and it was up to Irfan, who had earlier left the field with an upset tummy, to hang on until the end. But it was Wahab who could not. He was yorked by Kleinveldt, who finally got it right, at the start of the 49th over to end a spirited contest.

It was a great game that provided entertainment for the crowd. Only one thing separated both the teams: FIELDING. While SA were brilliant, Pakistan were as poor as most of the time they are. Sometimes one wonders if this team really has a fielding coach at all!!. their batting is no different, a few barks but no real bite, except, of course, BOOM BOOM Afridi who lived up to his reputation and played gem of an inning that he CAN play more often than he has done recently. He could have won the match for Pak if he had used his head properly. If he had stayed for a few overs more, the match was in his grasp. Seriously, Afridi needs a psychologist (no joke) to teach him how to play according to the situation. He pulled the team out of the crisis and brought it close to the finish line..he only needed to stay there till end. He must be taught to believe HE CAN DO IT only by using his head properly and by staying at the wicket. He had already scored a lot of runs in the over he got out.

msdhoni123
on March 17, 2013, 20:15 GMT

Amla and de Villiers probably the best 2 batsman in world cricket but also they 2 most underrated players. Everyone always talk about there clarks,dhoni,cook,sangakarra being a consistent batsmen. I admit they are but Amla and AB are constsistment in every format they play in. When they score the score big. Plus the aint no sloggers or no blockers, they keep the strike rate up in every single over. If AB and amla continue like this they will be one of the best batsmen in the world. This is coming from an Indian fan.

Pathiyal
on March 20, 2013, 12:39 GMT

really enjoyed the contest! it was a great knock from AB (as usual) and Hashim who came back with a reversal of decision. Shahid's fight back was interesting to watch but i felt that he was running out of partners. glad to see a bit of "old Shahid Afridi" which i am witnessing after a long gap. if Hafeez could have been there with him, they would have finished it with some balls left unbowled. i loved the way he called 'Billy.... billy' at the start of his innings to take the guard. without him in the team, we feel there is no spice in the curry. still a fantastic player to watch out.

on March 19, 2013, 18:36 GMT

Let Afridi, open the innings for Pakistan!

t20cric
on March 19, 2013, 18:20 GMT

I don't get why people are saying that Afridi should open its better to have Hafeez or K. Akmal or Nasir or AHmed Shehzad. Pakistan should really try making Ahmed open atleast once because in the T20 he opened really well and almost got a half century. Hafeez is not bad at opening either cuz he showed in the last match that he is getting over his Steyn-o-phobia and hopefully plays atacking cricket against him next time.The earliest Afridi should come in is at no.4 and he come in later then no.6 cuz i think u need a few batsmen before and after Afridi to make sure he can be used effectively.

on March 19, 2013, 14:56 GMT

entertaining match well i would like pakistan to drop nasir jamshed nd open wt kamran nd hafeez or maybe use jamshed in kamran place then younus asad shafiq umarakmal misbah afridi umar gul or sohail tanvir ajmal junaid irfan
nd the most importan thing is bowl hafeez frm the very nxt over frm bowling power play nd use ajmal the way afridi use him in odi when he is captain

For all of the positions with 2 or more players I put the most prefered one first. If Younis gets to play then Afridi should come in at no.4 and Younis should come in at no.6 cuz in this match there was no other batsman left to carry on from where Afridi left off and thats why Pakistan lost.

t20cric
on March 18, 2013, 21:24 GMT

Pakstan chased very well in this match, I think both teams should be happy with their performance yesterday but SA obviously more cuz they won. Pakistan need to get rid of Wahab even as a back up cuz he conceded so many runs and scored less than half that much. Pakistan would have won if he hadn't conceded so many runs. I don't get why Wahab got to complete all of his overs cuz it was his last few overs that caused SA to score the winning runs. There is proof of this if you look at the worm graph Pakistan's run rate was always higher than SA's except for the last few overs.It would have been ideal if M. Irfan and Junaid Khan bowled the last few overs cuz they wouldn't have conceded much runs. Afridi batted very well and he has proved that he is in form now and is very dangerous for the opponents. Misbah should have played aggressive cricket with Afridi when they were both at the crease.Hopefully M. Irfan and Gul get well soon cuz we need those 2 to prevent Wahab and Tanvir from playing

cric925
on March 17, 2013, 23:33 GMT

It was a great game that provided entertainment for the crowd. Only one thing separated both the teams: FIELDING. While SA were brilliant, Pakistan were as poor as most of the time they are. Sometimes one wonders if this team really has a fielding coach at all!!. their batting is no different, a few barks but no real bite, except, of course, BOOM BOOM Afridi who lived up to his reputation and played gem of an inning that he CAN play more often than he has done recently. He could have won the match for Pak if he had used his head properly. If he had stayed for a few overs more, the match was in his grasp. Seriously, Afridi needs a psychologist (no joke) to teach him how to play according to the situation. He pulled the team out of the crisis and brought it close to the finish line..he only needed to stay there till end. He must be taught to believe HE CAN DO IT only by using his head properly and by staying at the wicket. He had already scored a lot of runs in the over he got out.

msdhoni123
on March 17, 2013, 20:15 GMT

Amla and de Villiers probably the best 2 batsman in world cricket but also they 2 most underrated players. Everyone always talk about there clarks,dhoni,cook,sangakarra being a consistent batsmen. I admit they are but Amla and AB are constsistment in every format they play in. When they score the score big. Plus the aint no sloggers or no blockers, they keep the strike rate up in every single over. If AB and amla continue like this they will be one of the best batsmen in the world. This is coming from an Indian fan.

Pathiyal
on March 20, 2013, 12:39 GMT

really enjoyed the contest! it was a great knock from AB (as usual) and Hashim who came back with a reversal of decision. Shahid's fight back was interesting to watch but i felt that he was running out of partners. glad to see a bit of "old Shahid Afridi" which i am witnessing after a long gap. if Hafeez could have been there with him, they would have finished it with some balls left unbowled. i loved the way he called 'Billy.... billy' at the start of his innings to take the guard. without him in the team, we feel there is no spice in the curry. still a fantastic player to watch out.

on March 19, 2013, 18:36 GMT

Let Afridi, open the innings for Pakistan!

t20cric
on March 19, 2013, 18:20 GMT

I don't get why people are saying that Afridi should open its better to have Hafeez or K. Akmal or Nasir or AHmed Shehzad. Pakistan should really try making Ahmed open atleast once because in the T20 he opened really well and almost got a half century. Hafeez is not bad at opening either cuz he showed in the last match that he is getting over his Steyn-o-phobia and hopefully plays atacking cricket against him next time.The earliest Afridi should come in is at no.4 and he come in later then no.6 cuz i think u need a few batsmen before and after Afridi to make sure he can be used effectively.

on March 19, 2013, 14:56 GMT

entertaining match well i would like pakistan to drop nasir jamshed nd open wt kamran nd hafeez or maybe use jamshed in kamran place then younus asad shafiq umarakmal misbah afridi umar gul or sohail tanvir ajmal junaid irfan
nd the most importan thing is bowl hafeez frm the very nxt over frm bowling power play nd use ajmal the way afridi use him in odi when he is captain

For all of the positions with 2 or more players I put the most prefered one first. If Younis gets to play then Afridi should come in at no.4 and Younis should come in at no.6 cuz in this match there was no other batsman left to carry on from where Afridi left off and thats why Pakistan lost.

t20cric
on March 18, 2013, 21:24 GMT

Pakstan chased very well in this match, I think both teams should be happy with their performance yesterday but SA obviously more cuz they won. Pakistan need to get rid of Wahab even as a back up cuz he conceded so many runs and scored less than half that much. Pakistan would have won if he hadn't conceded so many runs. I don't get why Wahab got to complete all of his overs cuz it was his last few overs that caused SA to score the winning runs. There is proof of this if you look at the worm graph Pakistan's run rate was always higher than SA's except for the last few overs.It would have been ideal if M. Irfan and Junaid Khan bowled the last few overs cuz they wouldn't have conceded much runs. Afridi batted very well and he has proved that he is in form now and is very dangerous for the opponents. Misbah should have played aggressive cricket with Afridi when they were both at the crease.Hopefully M. Irfan and Gul get well soon cuz we need those 2 to prevent Wahab and Tanvir from playing

imranmujtaba
on March 18, 2013, 19:00 GMT

Please fire Misbah & younis and bring youngster Please! Umar and Asad should be in otherwise pakistan will not win any game until and unless Pak bowlers take wickets under 250!!! Middle order is a bad luck for Pakistan ..... please change it

imranmujtaba
on March 18, 2013, 18:28 GMT

Excellent batting by Amla and AB, world best player. It was good to see Afiridi scoring run GOOD NEWS AND HAPPY FACES FOR AFRIDI's fan club, Afridi is such charm that whole nation has forgot PAKISTAN has lost the game and PAKISTAN batting line up.
I hope Pakistan will sit Misbah and Younis in next 2 games and bring Umar Akmal and Asad and give them opportunity to play cricket and I am sure they could have won last game for Pakistan.

RankPace
on March 18, 2013, 17:43 GMT

Evne Waqar Younis the idiot had asked for W.Riaz after the test series when he said "Where is W.Riaz, where is Aizas Cheema/"

Now that was not sufficient, so they brought in another consistent failiuire, SOHAIL TANVIR.

IMPORTANT WARNING FOR THE PAKISTANI FANS : IF W.RIAZ AND SOHAIL TANVIR PLAY IN THE SAME GAME, NO NEED TO WATCH THOSE GAMES.

As it is there are so many passengers in the Pak batting line-up, then you bring in bowlers who are the most expensive in the world.

Younis, Misbah & Kamran should not be in the team.

AltafPatel
on March 18, 2013, 17:27 GMT

Amla turning to dream career. 11 centuries in 66 matches. great.

getsetgopk
on March 18, 2013, 17:12 GMT

Dont do nothing, loose a trillion games or quit playing cricket all together do whatever it takes to drop these useless Akmals from the team. My goodness is there no one else out of 180 million people who can catch a cricket ball behind the stumps? These inept, incompetent selectors are actually paid to pick a squad that includes all the most ugly Akmals. Good heavens, there are 7 of them. They will keep supplying keepers to Pakistan team till...I heard a couple of them got married and soon will have kids and then they will grow and playing for Pakistan, this is a never ending nightmare.

RankPace
on March 18, 2013, 17:10 GMT

So where are all the Wahab Riaz & Kamran Akmal fans.

There was a lot of fuss about promoting Kamran in the baating order, even some stupid ex-openers aired those sentiments. He made 30 in 42 balls in what was supposed to be a high scoring game. But most importantly He is back to dropping imprortant catches. Folks, let me make one thing clear, if you allow guys like Amla & develiers to bat twice, they will unleash mayhem, worst than hitler. this is what had happened. SOME FANS THINK THAT HE CAN BAT, BUT THE FACT IS THAT HE CANT BAT AND HE CANT TAKE THE CATHES.

reg W.Riaz. He made 45, but he conceeded 93. the only bowler in the match to be so expesive. Where are the fans who say he can bat. THEY KEEP FORGETTING THAT HE CANT BOWL.

.

gsingh7
on March 18, 2013, 17:06 GMT

am so disapoointed for wahab for missing century . only if amla had hit him for another six. he wud have got that. still impressive 93, he can score century next match. another amla 150 score.

wasim_007
on March 18, 2013, 16:25 GMT

Good to see Afridi back in action as a batsman....but what he can do at end...Please open with Afridi....weldone LALA....

cisco420
on March 18, 2013, 15:10 GMT

Please get rid of Kamran Akmal , he is dropping catches and costing us games. That Amla catch should have been taken.

dmqi
on March 18, 2013, 13:12 GMT

The worst thing I have seen in cricket in last 40 years is that a country playing cricket for more than 4 decades can not produce/groom a wicket keeper in last 10 years. They are relying on a junky one and seems to be depend on him ONLY for that job. 2nd thing, Pak captains do not know field placement to stop 4's but SA knew very well. Good fielding could restrict SA under 280. Peterson also was a better bowler than Ajmal. Get rid of Kamran, Malik and Younus right now.

on March 18, 2013, 12:30 GMT

Afridi 88 was nt in Vain at all,Finally he is back with a bang.

on March 18, 2013, 12:02 GMT

afridi is a 75 % batsmen.p;s give him a chance as a batmen.he will ball some overs .thats plus

Munafis810
on March 18, 2013, 11:19 GMT

Wahab Riaz. Was it not exactly 1 year before in Asia cup he got hammered for 90 runs . Now again this year he gets hammered 90 runs in his quota. Only time he has bowled well was in World cup match against India and still he ended on loosing side.

SuperSharky
on March 18, 2013, 11:08 GMT

Well played by the Proteas. I think Pakistan just needed that extra touch from Gul who was surely missed. And wasn't it a great fightback from Afridi who changed a game to be bullied into a very close entertaining match.

on March 18, 2013, 10:34 GMT

@Samir Abdulhaq Yes mate SA has poorest quality spinners and yet they outperformed Pakistans so called best spinners yesterday which was the turning point of the match, SA Spinners 10-0-51-2 and Pak Spinners 23-0-166-1. Pak spinners got hammered in the hands of AB and Hash and that made a huge difference

PakCricSpin
on March 18, 2013, 10:14 GMT

I am disappointed Wahab Riaz did not score a Century.. a Century of conceding runs that is. Hahahah. Where are the Wahab Riaz fans now? lol.

ARFB
on March 18, 2013, 10:04 GMT

I can't understand why Pak selectors cant take keeping charge off of Kamran Akmal & PLAY HIM ONLY AS A SPECIALIST BATSMAN.Why is it mandatory for him to keep as well when his selection is primarily due to his batting skills.It's simple commonsense that if you will keep pressurizing him for his batting, then he will drop catches behind the wickets.He is not Gilchrist/Sanga/De villiers.Whole Pakistan team is mentally weak & i bet you wont find any Batsmankeeper in all of Pakistan Because their system doesn't make mentally tough cricketers who could do the job of both.Even historically, Moin khan & R Latif were two of the best keepers in Pak team but they were pathetic batters.

CricketRockStar
on March 18, 2013, 9:31 GMT

Great Match and lively Crowd; Afridi played like nothing to lose and remains a great entertainer. Amla and AB are the Best ODI players SA got along with Steyn; love to see a proper fast bowling display.

Besides, Pakistan must give chance to new batmans if they think ahead of Worldcup; we are losing anyway so lose with young blood is better for future. atleast first these 30+ age batmans like K.Akmal, Younis, Shoaib should go immediately. no offence but their expire date well passed otherwise our half the squad will be 34+ in world cup.

xylofon
on March 18, 2013, 9:25 GMT

Someone wrote in regards to Nasor Jamshed:

"Best players are used as 1 down, so should he."

Spot on! Nasir will never be able to open well consistently - no matter what happens in a game or two. His place should be cemented as nr 3! THIS IS KEY FOR PAKISTAN - unless they realise this they will not use their best batting weapon efficiently.

Misbah and Younis have to go now. Hafeez should be ODI captain and Afridi T20 as long as Afridi is fit he should do that because of the psychological truth he offers - never mind if he performs with the bat. Afridi got out on a ball he should have left alone. It wasnt a good ball from the bowler at all, kinda wide-ish even.

If Afridi could be more SELECTIVE with his shots he will be one the worlds most devastating batters - consistently. BBC studio people were saying the same thing, one of them apparently had him in Hampshire as a player. Its all psychological for Afridi, he can do it if he applies his mind to it.

Congrats to SA.

Marktc
on March 18, 2013, 9:03 GMT

As a South African I admire Afridi. He almost took the game away from South Africa single handed. Amla and De Villiers played briliantly...De Villiers improvising like a pro.....but Afridi was batsman of the match. South Africa did keep cool heads though, even after so many sixes. Steyn was still the pic of the bowlers against him. Robin was cleverly removed (thus the good figures). Well done SA, bot WOW Afridi.

quittthewhinging
on March 18, 2013, 8:01 GMT

Akmal drops more chances behind the stumps than Sehwag. And that takes some doing.

A.T.Abbasi
on March 18, 2013, 7:12 GMT

As a Pakistan fan i have no regret the way boys played, it was simply remarkable. Specially afridi, It was a Boom Boom Inning from 32 year old all rounder. Full marks to him, He almost snatch the match from the jaws of SA. I hope Pakistan will come back in the next match. Well played SA, well Chase Pakistan.. but better luck next time.

on March 18, 2013, 6:30 GMT

1-Ahmed Shehzad, 2-Kamran, 3-Naser Jamshed, 4-Hafeez, 5-Umer Akmal, 6-Afridi, 7-Misbah, 8-Gul, 9-Ajmal, 10-Junaid, 11-Irfan.
Simple explanation:
Hafeez is physiologically under pressure from Steyn.
Naser is wrist player and don't play over the ring as opener. Best players are used as 1 down, so should he. He is the best player for the future.
Ahmed Shehzad & Kamran both can make the most of fast bowlers (power play) and very quick between the wickets.
Hafeez has proven again & again that he plays older ball well and all around at will, especially spinners & SA has the poorest quality spinners.
Umer Akmal and Afridi, if given decent time on the pitch (after 35 overs) can do the damage and no intro is needed there.
If all fails, Chacha Tuk tuk is there to let the game reach 50 overs whether we win or lose, as that has been the case ever with Misbah.
No better bowling options available on the tour so not much can be done there.
Younis great player but he needs to focus on test cricket.

Sports4Youth
on March 18, 2013, 6:03 GMT

Once again Kamran Akmal has proved that he plays in the pakistani team for the opposition. Dropping Amla was a costly miss. Even Hafeez had dropped Amla in the same over, but Kamran is a wicket keeper. He is supposed to be the specialiast fielder in the team.

All the fuss about promoting Akmal in the batting order is nonesense. He was failing at the top of ther order for the last 3 years that his why he was dropped. Why should the team make so many adjustments for him?.

.

on March 18, 2013, 4:42 GMT

Afridi is the best player ever. We always love u Afridi. He's the one honest player in team, but also he shell to improve his bowling.

on March 18, 2013, 4:24 GMT

get rid of Akmal plz. how much more cost v hv to bear bcz of him.. useless keeper

Cricrazy1
on March 18, 2013, 4:01 GMT

Kamran Akmal must be put out of his misery if pakistan is to get better. Any make shift wicket keeper would at least do as well. Bring back umar Amal and promote Afridi couple of spots up the order.

dmqi
on March 18, 2013, 4:01 GMT

Just compare Amla with top 4/5 Pak batsmen combined, you will see the difference between the teams. Compare the two wicket keepers in keeping and batting, you will find which team should win. Fortune of Malik one day, Afridi one day, Misbah one day and Hafiz one day can not win matches. Sooner you understand, better you can see what is coming up, repetition of 4-1 series. I do not see how with this fragile bowing and batting Pakistan can be competitive consistently. Drop 4-5 players and try new players in the next match to groom them for future.

H-Shakil
on March 18, 2013, 3:48 GMT

We lost the match but we won back our old BOOM BOOM.. GO Shahid bhai!
with a firing Afridi I vl bet my money on Pak wining the last two matches :D

on March 18, 2013, 3:32 GMT

Akmal is the worst keeper in international cricket. I really like his brother Adnan why he is not considered is beyond be.

So suddenly Afridi is back? Just another blind folded innings which pays off once in a blue moon.

Fearless_Greens
on March 18, 2013, 2:03 GMT

Now I understand the pain of indian fans. When tendulkar scores 100 india loses (most of the time). When Afridi goes wild then Pakistan loses. What a pity!!!

mshyder
on March 18, 2013, 2:01 GMT

I think the tour selection panel is very unimaginative. Replacing Umar Gul with Wahab Riaz is senseless. Wahab is known to leak runs, he has no control on his line and length. How long can he play on the basis of a solitary notable performance in the QF of World Cup against India. Even an out of form Umar Gul is far better than Wahab who has a career economy rate of 5.63. Since Jamshed is not doing so well he shd be replaced by Imran Frahat ( becuase of lack of options otherwise Farhat should not even be in the squad) and Shaoib Malik shd be replaced by Asad Shafiq to bring stability in the middle order, as Malik hardly bowls nowadays and without doubt he doesn't merit the selection purely as a batsman. Only positive was Afridi's batting, good to see glimpses of his prime.

on March 18, 2013, 1:41 GMT

This match will be remember for a long time despite good start once again pak followed its trade mark of losing wickets one after another... it is n very obvious that no planing is involved at wts so ever once ur settled just play the balls to its merit donot play in the air rotate the strike keep on the eye on the fieldrs....l Malik wickt as an example.
Once again the importance of a batsman felt at the depth overs... if liks of afrdi malik had stayed a little while it might had turned the table for pak team.

Pls let me know if any one ever witnessed the six like the afrdi one......was not it the longest one in the history?

on March 18, 2013, 1:25 GMT

misbah and younis are the two gentlemen in a side of boom booms...will u ever be able to mature them...i doubt it...to naisr...stand and deliver bhai doesnt work in sa... u need a few more scoring otpions...hafeez...u the best batsman in the side with the lowest average...u need to be more patient and less aggro on the field...that vein in ur temples about to burst...kamran and family...stick to t20...shoib...u look out of it and were alsopoor in india...u seem to have given up the fight...wahab...u dont need 150kph...just line and length in sa...patience u dont blast people out...ajmal...well done...afridi...the Lord is with u...not often though...grow up willya..irfan...get fit if u can otherwise amazing...junaid my namesake...nice job

Cricket_theBestGame
on March 18, 2013, 1:19 GMT

@ MAHafeez - either you are taunting pak cricket fans or you are a real die hard fan :)

imran farhat, imran nazir, fawad alam..all have been given ample chances to cement their places in the side. but they alway fail. you have to look at how many matches they've played and their avg and wining contribution to the team. imran farhat as we all know played most of his matches due to his father in law being the former selector (slahudin) and a very influential figure in pak cricket.

the akmal bros, well we thought finally we saw the last of them when they weren't selected for SA seires. yet the greater destroyer of pak's winning chances returns with the same old habit of 'dropping chances' and a false promise of batting ability which to be honest i've not yet seen !

22many
on March 18, 2013, 0:17 GMT

certainly a different team that played NZ.....Whats that about?

on March 18, 2013, 0:16 GMT

tsobe...get that line and length sorted...mclaren well done...kleinveld...bad day at the office...steyn...u at the peak dude...enjoy...peterson...i dont know what u do but u seem to be coming up with the goods...long may it continue...the rest bloody brilliant!

ak_dragon
on March 18, 2013, 0:12 GMT

great come back by Lala(AFRIDI), I don't understand about Misbah's Defensive approach which cost us miserable defeats. Enuff Misbah, please step down after this series.

Thanks

on March 18, 2013, 0:11 GMT

Afridi had played really well inning,we would have won the match if he continue till the end of 45 over.can we replace younus and malik by giving a chance to umer akmal and asad.it will work for Pakistan.tough day for wahab.

on March 18, 2013, 0:03 GMT

If iits not afridi, its gul or its razzaq...were seem to be at the tail end of these freakish occurences...Dear Lord...take pity on us!

RaadQ
on March 17, 2013, 23:49 GMT

Good to see boom-boom regain his batting instincts. This means Shoaib Malik is absolutely obselete, and should be replaced by Umar Akmal. Riaz's action makes him erratic, he is only good in right conditions. They should have never played him on flat tracks. Anwar Ali deserves a chance! My XI: Jamshed, Hafeez, Kamran, Younis, Misbah, Umar Akmal, Afridi, Anwar Ali, Ajmal, Junaid Khan & Irfan (Gul coming in if Irfan is injured/unfit). No place for Malik, never has been. He makes a decent score in every 3 or 4 games and is preferred over more talented youngsters who aren't given an extended run (U. Akmal, A. Shafiq, F. Alam).

TheRisingTeam
on March 17, 2013, 23:25 GMT

Hashim Amla is simply AMAZING!!! almost half his ODI innings so far, his scores are of 50 or more.

on March 17, 2013, 22:50 GMT

great match fainaly afridi back in from

Hardy1
on March 17, 2013, 22:22 GMT

The South African kit...brrrrr.

likeintcricket
on March 17, 2013, 22:15 GMT

There were some close run out chances on AB and Amla was dropped twice after a lucky LBW verdict reversal for him set up the win for SA. The four spinners could not do anything on this kind of dead track but it will be hard for SA to win on better tracks. Pakistan can still bounce back but the key is the fielding and fitness.

El_Toro_Loco
on March 17, 2013, 22:13 GMT

The best part of the game was when Afridi bowled out on a NO ball & as he was walking back some SA player said something to upset him. Afterwards Afridi returned & hit a massive six in the recent memory to the same bowler. Lesson for everyone don't piss off Afridi while he is batting like this. Boom Boom. Ciao...

on March 17, 2013, 21:54 GMT

@MA Hafeez
O come on...howcome Nazir and Imran farhat count as special talents they r just ordinary like many others out there...though i feel for Umar akmal some times but he also didnt show the complete promise he has been expected to but m sure he will be back with a top notch, i also feel fawad alam shoud stay with test squad, look at the stats, they guy has highest avg by any pakistani in 1st class so far...lets hope Imran Khan wins next election and brings reforms to PCB so that world can see real cricketing talent Pakistan has got..

on March 17, 2013, 21:47 GMT

Considering everything , Pakistan not getting any chance to play outside Asia since 2011 Jan. Their batsmen and bowlers are just starting to show some comfort/familiarity with these conditions which are nothing like Asia. Why isnt ICC helping the Pakistan board in getting more matches abroad.
Well done Heroes keep fighting for your teams honor. Win or lose .

on March 17, 2013, 21:47 GMT

WoW atleast i can sleep calm after afridi Rampage innings

on March 17, 2013, 21:13 GMT

well done Pakistan, great team effort. But bad luck. Fitness of Irfan, Drop catch by Hafeez, recersal of LBW decision. Early dismissal of Nasir Jamshed and Misbah are the reasons for loss.

Atta95
on March 17, 2013, 21:10 GMT

Congratulations to south Africa
Good batting from Amala ab devillies and afridi
Pakistan should make changes like drop hafeez and nasir down and use shezad and Kamran as opener drop younas and take asad , drop malik take umar
drop wahab and take gul.
Why Pakistan is taking unfit player.
Try with nasir jamshed at no3 hafiz at no4 only today hafeez make century and then he will fail four matches .

on March 17, 2013, 21:03 GMT

They should drop younis and misbha for asad shafique and umer akmal.

cisco420
on March 17, 2013, 20:26 GMT

Well played Afridi , please retire now and take Misbah, Malik, K.Akmal, Younis and Umer Gul with you and let young guys come and play.Thank you so much you all.

Hira1
on March 17, 2013, 20:25 GMT

batting first or second Pak would have lost, if Pak have batted first they would have content by 270 -280 maximum, and was a very easy wicket for SA to chase the target so the problem is not batting first or second but the batting lineup of Pak that is too inefficient, no one from the top 3 or 4 is there to support Afridi, one cannot expect every time from Misbah to score and bat till the end. what is the achievement of younus that he is included in all matches where as Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal are wondering whats their fault. We as Pak wont mind loosing with an inexperience side rather watching the horrible batting display of Younus, shoaib and akmal (including his wicket keeping) every time

on March 17, 2013, 20:16 GMT

It was a treat to watch all of Amla, DeVilliers and DuPlessis but the best moments were when Afridi was batting! Wonder why he isn't played up the order; also it would be sensible on the selestors' part to pick Umar Akmal instead of Shoaib Malik for the rest of the games and Wahab Riaz could never utilize a given chance, so there's no point in continuing with him!

on March 17, 2013, 20:14 GMT

The Blazzing innings of Afridi stole the show away from Amla and Devilliers. It was sheer entertainment and hard hitting at best.

Baseball-Sucks
on March 17, 2013, 20:13 GMT

Hard luck Pak fans. But the good thing is that Afridi is back in action :D. That was quite a show. :P Best of luck for the next game - a SL fan

Attractivue
on March 17, 2013, 20:11 GMT

I don't care about Pakistan losing, When Afridi came Pakistan needed 230 odd runs, there was no hope but Afridi almost beat Razzaq in that magical 2010 innings against South Africa. Afridi has shut up his critics and I haven't seen him in a form like this since something like 2009.

Afridi, it's time to BOOM BOOM again!

warneneverchuck
on March 17, 2013, 20:00 GMT

Get ready for afridi's next 50 in 2015

PakCric786
on March 17, 2013, 19:55 GMT

TommytuckerSaffa.. if it was in our (fans) hand we won't let him play for Pak local team never mind national lol.. but our selectors are useless just like Kamran Akmal. anyway well done to both teams it was very entertaining match to watch. SA are 1 of the fav to win Champions Trophy if they can sort their death bowling out.

on March 17, 2013, 19:54 GMT

Great effort from Afridi..he is the only one who showed any fight..i would drop kamran and give the gloves to umar..keeping skills are the same but umar is a better batsmen...i would also drop Irfan because is struggling big time with his fitness and not able to complete his overs, which can be a turning point in the game.and middle order needs to focus more on singles and doubles rather than block and then go for boundaries.heres my XI for the next game: 1. jamshed 2. hafeez 3.malik 4. younis 5.misbah 6. u. akmal (wk) 7. afridi 8. tanvir 9. gul 10. ajmal 11. junaid

warneneverchuck
on March 17, 2013, 19:53 GMT

I think SA now should say good bye to Kallis. If he was ther SA couldn't have reache to 270. He was never impact player

on March 17, 2013, 19:45 GMT

Younis khan and Shoaib Malik are eating up the places of ASAD SHAFIQUE and UMAR AKMAL who are far better, aggressive and strong options against quality bowling. Nasir jamshed is suffering from a rough patch but his class and technique are way stronger then the other available options. Team combination for the next game should be.

A.REHMAN will not leak as many runs as Wahab did and he is a good batting option as well (as we can't expect 45 runs everytime from Wahab's bat)

Stark62
on March 17, 2013, 19:42 GMT

@ THE_MIZ Did you not see the missed run out by Faf and the misfield at mid off, which allowed Afridi to get back on strike?!?!

Also, SA are not the best fielding unit because that title belongs to the Kiwi's but SA are second best.

liaqathussain
on March 17, 2013, 19:38 GMT

jamshed failed ,, malik, and younas failed, we need one more attacking batsmen

but in all honesty once they had 343 that was beyond us

SurlyCynic
on March 17, 2013, 19:38 GMT

@THE_MIZ: I guess I'm being critical of Kleinveldt because he was by far our most expensive bowler (8.4 per over), ahead of Tsotsobe (7.4). I did acknowledge that he came back in his last over with a few yorkers, it just disturbed me how he lost it earlier and looked clueless. Not a good sign for pressure games in knockouts.

Hopefully he doesn't perform like this again.

AK47_pk
on March 17, 2013, 19:38 GMT

Every keeper drops a catch here nd there but we just keep our guns pointed towards kamran. His keeping has improved. Hes better than wade who keeps puting down catches. Give kami a break nd dnt just strat shooting for just one mistake.

umairasgharbutt
on March 17, 2013, 19:32 GMT

the climax was boom boom show !

on March 17, 2013, 19:25 GMT

Lala the great. Showed once again he has it with him. He should come strong with the ball now which will make the difference in the next game. Real talent.

THE_MIZ
on March 17, 2013, 19:10 GMT

@SurlyCynic, why be so critical of Kleinveldt? Tsostobe went for over 70 as well. Atleast Rory bowled a couple of yorkers to prove he can do it. The rest were all bowling short... (Why can't we get it right?) It was disappointing. I also recall Morkel going for more than 70 runs not too long ago vs a weaker New Zealand side that hardly had anyone of Afridi's calibre and in the mood to demolish like today?

AltafPatel
on March 17, 2013, 19:07 GMT

Amla turning to dream career. 11 centuries in 66 matches. great.

TommytuckerSaffa
on March 17, 2013, 18:56 GMT

Just seen the highlights. Dear PAK fans, please get yourself a half decent Keeper. Akmal is useless. Amla's inside edge should have been taken, it was that much deviation. How many more mistakes can this guy make with the gloves before he gets dropped? Is his batting that good?

MAHafeez
on March 17, 2013, 18:53 GMT

Shahid Afridi proved that aggression is the answer for Pakistani cricketers.
Don't understand though why Imran Farhat is not being included.
Players who got a raw deal from the pakistani selection committees over the years are as follows. They have destroyed many careers of very good cricketers.

After the first 15 overs of SA innings Pak should have controlled the match, bad captaincy by Misbah in failing to stop singles let AB and Amla take control of the proceddings, and poor Pak fielding in dropping Amla twice in Wahab Riaz over provided the icing on the cake for SA.

on March 17, 2013, 18:37 GMT

Well done guyss and tough luck this time,,, this is all ODI about, Afridi as i said earlier, is class but need only one innings to regain his form and today was the day, wish him all the best till WC 2015, green shirts will come harder in next game

on March 17, 2013, 18:35 GMT

Well done Pakistan-Misbah should be rested now for good-Its time to move on!

THE_MIZ
on March 17, 2013, 18:34 GMT

@Stark62, mate bad fielding by SA? Are you alright? The best fielding unit in the world is SA! hafeez dropped a 'sitter' by international standards.Smith's chance was a very tough one.

on March 17, 2013, 18:33 GMT

If Afridi can learn to pace his innings like Inzi used to do, there is no one better than him.

roook
on March 17, 2013, 18:30 GMT

Another middle order collapse with 132/5 on a flat pitch apart from afridi brilliance that keep match in balance. With Malik and younus just averaging 30 i see no point in retaining them else they are a team liability.Think radically built team for the future. if a see south africa they drop kallis for a newcomer. Dropping Wahab riaz would be a harsh one as it was his first match on a tour and need a fair chance to proof himself

Aby.Rom
on March 17, 2013, 18:28 GMT

malik is absolute crap n its hard for anyone to get one's head around the idea how he still manages to get selected and so is with ageing younis who is never at par when needed .. i m very much in favor of including umar akmal, and hammad azam/awais zia into the team. the latter too of course wud need bit of grooming but with some guidance, watching matches from da side bench will kill their careers like many others .. dunno when will this godam pcb put their act together

Major85D
on March 17, 2013, 18:28 GMT

Pakistan lost the match because of their captain misbah. Why bowl first on this pitch??? And why younis khan and malik are still in the team?? with these batsmen you will never chase a big total like this. And please drop coach dave whatmore, he is the wrong man!! Btw wonderful innings by boom boom shahid afridi. he is still one of the greatest.

aiksa
on March 17, 2013, 18:24 GMT

Despite a very entertaining knock, Afridi confirmed that he has no brains required for a world class player. He must know that you can't hit boundry on every ball. Had he shown a little sense, he could have won the game for Pakistan. But perhaps that was not his goal. He did entertain and confirmed his place for some more games. Nasir Jamshed seems to be following Umar Akmal - great potential but serious lack of learning ability by throwing away his wicket thru stupid & reckless shots.

on March 17, 2013, 18:18 GMT

@khurramsch: Could not agree more

SurlyCynic
on March 17, 2013, 18:16 GMT

Well done to both sides, entertaining game. Great to see Afridi hit some massive sixes again, even as an SA supporter who was becoming worried! But 340 was always going to be a tough ask, and De Villiers and Amla batted superbly.

One thing that annoyed me was Kleinveldt dishing up short balls to Afridi, he came back ok with a couple of yorkers at the end but should have tried these earlier. He was very expensive and Morne will probably replace him.

on March 17, 2013, 18:12 GMT

Amla is now averaging 58.81. He is already the fastest to get 3000 runs and now rushing towards fastest 4000. He got 11 centuries and total 30 fifty plus score in 64 innings, thats 1 century in every 6 games and a fifty plus score in every 2.1 games!! And his strike rate is 92, thats comparable with hitters like sanath,gibbs,gayle and none of them averages anywhere near amla!! Truly astonishing stats. Also AB is averaging almost 50 with 93 strike rate!!

Stark62
on March 17, 2013, 18:11 GMT

That was a spectacular knock by Mr. BOOM BOOM and we were royally entertained!!

@Jawad Hussain Are you sure, Malik is the best Pak have to offer? He has a FC average of around 36.42, whilst guys like Umar, Harris, Alam, Salahuddin and Yasin, all average 44+ in FC cricket.

Lastly, can I just say that the commentary is highly biased and it's getting exasperating because they make a lot of commotion, when there is bad fielding by Pak but yet, nothing much is said when SA do the same.

on March 17, 2013, 18:10 GMT

What a game this was! Pakistan may have lost but lala has begun to regain his form.
The only thing Pakistan will need to work on is their fielding (such as the two drops of amla by hafeez).After Wahab's horrible figures he should be replaced by Umar Gul now.I don't understand why people like Wahab Riaz. He isn't talented at all! He was a horrible death bowler and on top of that when he woudn't bowl a wide he would be hit for a four or six. Anyways great innings from Hashim amla and Ab de villiers. Congrats South Africa!

UK_Chap
on March 17, 2013, 18:05 GMT

I have long said Wahab Riaz is a load of rubbish... for all those Pakistan fans that wanted him in the side, he went for 93 runs and also bowled 7 wides. By the way for all the SAF fans ... congratulations... great game.

PAKISTANiLive
on March 17, 2013, 18:02 GMT

WELL PLAYED AFRIDI! When he came in, Pakistan were 213 Runs behind + he was the only recognized batsman left! SO HAPPY FOR THE LEGEND BOOM BOOM!

khurramsch
on March 17, 2013, 17:50 GMT

at times, writing tilts too much towards 1 team.

over here words like "afridi run out of luck" no ball was legitimate no ball, smith's drop was a difficult one not easy going backwards running.

where as only small word mentioned about Amla's chances. just that " he got life line" what about kamran's drop which SA tv commentators were saying a drop .

Plus Stey caught hafeez, it has nothing to do if 1 has got your wicket 5 times or 10 times? any fielder would have catch it.

Plus this series is too 1sided for tv commentary. today Junaid aborted his bowling stance to warn amla for backing up. thats a sportsmanship , otherwise under new rules he could have run him out. instead of appreciation tv commentators said junaid was just trying to get into amla's skin. after hearing that , i wish junaid could have run him out.

on March 17, 2013, 17:45 GMT

How can he hit six by moving out of his off-stump and back over keeper's head consistently... It requires lot of practice and gutz... Well AB u only can do that...

SaadRocx
on March 17, 2013, 17:42 GMT

Please Drop Malik and play Umer Akmal..and Hafeez why are you being sooo selfish? you keep failing in the top order with the average of 26 or 27? For God's sake let Kamran and Jamshed open and bat at #3.

washingtonindian
on March 17, 2013, 17:41 GMT

lala finally made some runs, Lovers of lala are back calling him legend etc.
Really ordinary as far as Class, technique or playing on the ground.
However, Very entertaining & fun Tape ball style.
To be able to play on ground & pierce gaps with style makes one a A category Batsman & Lala is far from that

on March 17, 2013, 17:35 GMT

Game would have been alot more interesting, if Umar akmal played in place of Malik. Its time for Misbah to stop pampering the seniors like Younis and Malik. Bring Asad at no. 4 and try grooming young all-rounders. Still a very good game of cricket and wonderful knock by AB, what a class act he is. well played Amla and a masterclass from Afridi.

on March 17, 2013, 17:27 GMT

Cricket has never seen a shot like this. Well played Afridi and congrats to South Africa.....

on March 17, 2013, 17:19 GMT

@zikriaadil sir we stick to Shoaib Malik coz he is the most successful player in domestic cricket.... and how much chances should we have to give to Umer Akmal!!! he ALWAYS threw his wicket just like Nasir Jamshed....... younus is the only batsman in out team to relay on.....

on March 17, 2013, 17:16 GMT

Hay guys , i think the super sixes by BOOM BOOM AFRIDI was as good that pakistan dont have to take this as a loss it was an amazing performance by both teams , i am just excited with AFRIDIs 6s , the one which was the highest ever 6

on March 17, 2013, 17:13 GMT

Sorry my bad when I wrote it was a day/night game

on March 17, 2013, 17:09 GMT

I know many people will be accusing Misbah for the loss but I think over here he has yet again been let down by his team in every aspect. Two dropped chances for Amla (by Hafeez and Akmal) and then Irfan going off the field and the worst part was Wahab Riaz as he set a record for conceding most runs by a pak bowler ever. In the batting Nasir failed yet again and Shoaib Malik, like always, is a waste of spot. They should kick out Nasir, Malik, Riaz and Younis for the next 2 games and bring in Shafiq, U. Akmal, Abdul RAZZAQ and Gul.

Ramu444
on March 17, 2013, 17:06 GMT

i can't understand what Younus & Malik are doing in the team,they should droped forever and bring umar akmal & asad shafiq.unfortunately our selectors and management have no vision at all

Zaid_sl
on March 17, 2013, 17:04 GMT

Pakistan think-tank needs to understand
When south Africa were batting devilliers n amla were given very easy singles.
Field placing n line of bowling should b well planned to restrict the singles n put score board pressure on the batsmen.
Pakistan Cricket has conceded to many such partnerships .

While batting they need to have a middle who can n should have the shots to place the balls in the gaps n rotate the strike.non of the batsmen in the middle have that ability

on March 17, 2013, 17:02 GMT

Well i can only say... guys played for the team not for their own sake..
why Younus in the side .... i have no clue :/

ZUBAIRR- BOOM BOOM
on March 17, 2013, 17:01 GMT

all i can say is that Afridi, there is only 1 afrdi. should move up the order for next game. legend

balajik1968
on March 17, 2013, 17:00 GMT

Well done South Africa and well played Pakistan. I think some contribution from Shoaib Malik and Jamshed could have helped. Afridi was left with too much to do.

Dark.Matter
on March 17, 2013, 16:59 GMT

why this guy Kamran is in the squad. He should be permanently kicked out. He is bowlers' nemesis, always drops catch on crucial moments. Now people are saying that afridi could not able to finish the match. Did misbah ever able to finish it. Misbah got out when we could dominate the game.

on March 17, 2013, 16:59 GMT

This post of mine is by no means an attempt to degrade Misbah but I just don't see the logic behind his decision to bowl first in a day/night game on an absolute cracking pitch with short boundaries.Bowling is suppose to be the stronger suit for Pakistan but for some unknown reason we bowled first today and in the first game as well and got hammered. Then he brought on Ajmal in the middle of SA innings when Amla and AB were going well instead of bringing him on around the 15th over to build the pressure. Watching Afridi come off was pure joy but we can not leave every game to Afridi and then expect him to go berserk everytime. Winning or losing is a part of game and as long as we fight, I don't really care about the result. But having said all, I am utterly disappointed by Misbah's captaincy, not his batting.

mzm149
on March 17, 2013, 16:57 GMT

What an innings by Amla and de Villiers. Well played Afridi and Pakistan. Unlucky Jamshed and Younus. Those who were blaming that Pakistan cannot cross 200, this is an answer for you. It will be a close series. Even if South Africa wins, Pakistan will not let them do so easily.

Thefakebook
on March 17, 2013, 16:57 GMT

Three great innings by three great legends Amla,AB and Afridi. What a match.

on March 17, 2013, 16:53 GMT

pak should drop younis and mallik and bring on umar and shafiq

Cricket_Man
on March 17, 2013, 16:51 GMT

I am feeling sorry fo Wahab Riaz. He wasn't given a chance earlier on in the series and now he was given a chance at Wanderers, which is famous for high scores. Plus, there were two dropped chances of Amla of his bowling when he was batting in 30's. Riaz batted well but his bowling wasn't good. He should have tried slower balls. Gul makes up some sort of injury whenever his position is at stake. I would still give Riaz one more match before discarding him.

2nd_Slip
on March 17, 2013, 16:50 GMT

Amla= best batsman in the world today consistant in all formats more than any batsman in the past year. AB de Villiers=best wk/batsman since Gilchrist in fact IMO he is turning to something greater than Gilchrist.

I_m_AKS
on March 17, 2013, 16:50 GMT

Afridi was on the verge of getting drop for forever and now he is performing, shockingly with the bat!

Its times up for Younis, he should retire from ODIs along with Misbah.

Pls play Umar Akmal.

malepas
on March 17, 2013, 16:46 GMT

@uk2009;;OK get rid of everyone and play who??? YOU PERHAPS THEN.. please make some sense when write here,,yes PAK needs someone like Umer Akmal in the middle,,and one proper fast bowling allrounder at no 8,,the rest is fine,,it was a fantastic match today and congrats to both teams,,well played,,kudos to PAK team for showing such grit and fight,,if Afridi can fire like this,,PAK can go a long way,,I think,we can play Umer akmal for Jamshed, and let Kamran open with Hafiz,Umer then can come after Younas and this will prolong the batting order, Gul must perform with ball as I think it may be hard for Irfan to play anymore with his hamie so I saw Sohail in PAK dressing room which is not a bad option for coming matches. Well done PAK for showing fight.

on March 17, 2013, 16:46 GMT

Everyone going on about Afridi, find, he slogged a good few, but at the end of the day he failed again because he didn't take it to the end.

atique.sa
on March 17, 2013, 16:46 GMT

Nasir jamshed ,mishbah ,wahab and yunis should be out of team....really feeling sorry for the talented unmar akmal and he's most rated batsman thn the entire current team....

Desihungama
on March 17, 2013, 16:44 GMT

Basically Misbah lost the game for Pakistan with his sub standard captaincy on the field. I don't like Gul and neither do I like Wahab Riaz or Sohail Tanveer either. But, he, Sohail has been playing for a SA domestic team Lyons. Shouldn't he be given a consideration given he's already playing in SA. No. 2. Wahab is getting hammered. Fine. Most bowlers were getting hammered. Fine. You have Shoaib Malik,Why was he not brought on or even Younis? Enough chances for Nasir. Well played SA, deserved to win after this outing.

maria_01
on March 17, 2013, 16:37 GMT

lala your innings a beauty..superb..awesom...smart...hadnsome....what can i say more of ur batting....really rocking....no matter we lost the match today but i really enjoyed cricket today....brilliantly played both the teams......only disappointing was wahab bowling and the way nasir is not making runs...throw wicket away always....he should accept the responsibilty.........rest all is ok....

zikriaadil
on March 17, 2013, 16:36 GMT

You can see the difference, in Pakistan team for ignoring Abdul Razzaq, Umar Akmal. I don't understand why they are stick to Younus Khan, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Kamal Akmal, Misbah Ul Haq in the team always.

They need young blood in the team, given them chance, they have got talented bunch of players like Fawad Alam, Hammad Azam, Umar Akmal etc. Some time I feel PCB and the team management are the TALENT BURNERS. They are waisting the talents. I want to know how Shoaib Malik, Younus Khan etc are better then Umar Akmal in ODI.

on March 17, 2013, 16:35 GMT

Paksitani batsmen are not consistent.

Papa_Tango
on March 17, 2013, 16:35 GMT

Why did Hafeez not Mankad Amla the SECOND time around? Junaid had already warned him.....something has changed on warning the non striker?

Master_uv_Puppetz
on March 17, 2013, 16:35 GMT

@Firdose Moonda: Come on lady Pakistan didnt really 'Slump'. They batted well down the innings. It was only because they didnt plan the innings. Afridi should have been sent up the order as it was evident that the pitch is playing perfectly. There wasn't anyone to finish the match once he got out.

sulav.dahal
on March 17, 2013, 16:30 GMT

OMG! Pakistan lost the epic battle! Afridi could not prolong his innings for some more overs. If that was the case, the situation would be reverse! Instead of Villiers, Afridi and co would be celebrating now! Better play next time, Pakistan!

ammar7may
on March 17, 2013, 16:27 GMT

So sad demise in the end. :-( Need to reshuffle team Pakistan for rest of the series. Balancing Batters, bowlers, all rounders, and WK. Definitely, with current form, we can take Wahab Riaz, Afridi and Hafeez as Allrounders, and share 20 overs. Kamran serving as WK and delivering his batting form is okay. 3 bowlers and 4 batsmen are to decide now. How hard is it to justify the non-performers. People cry for blood... Hahaha.... Also, bring Afridi at # 4 (after over no. 22-23), so that he know someone is after him, so that he can play freely. Today, if Misbah and Malik would have been later than him, the story could have been different. Can't give chance to out of form Nasir anymore. He already have taken 9 innings in SA, that he is not made for these wickets, and this bowling attack. 3 Bowlers : Junaid, Irfan, Abdur Rehman, and 4 batsmen: Misbah, Umar Akmal, Shafiq, Imran Farhat. I suggest to rest Nasir, Younis and Malik for rest of the series. Good luck. Debate open...

on March 17, 2013, 16:26 GMT

A very good show by Pak, but i wonder y the batsman are getting out after getting a start. Just five of our batman adding just odd 30 run to there collective total would have changed the result of the game. And surely the missed chances of amla.

TommytuckerSaffa
on March 17, 2013, 16:26 GMT

What amazing innings by the two BEST batsmen in the world. Ranked No.1 and No.2 respectively, ladies and gentlemen - Hashim Amla and AB De Villers. Two Tons - what players!!!!

Close but no cigar PAK. See you in Durban.

on March 17, 2013, 16:24 GMT

We as a pakistani nation don't want every time a victory but a true fight as we did today :) good luck pakistan team for rest of the matches and congrats to southafrica...In the End match belongs to B00M B00M........love u man in green..

Papa_Tango
on March 17, 2013, 16:23 GMT

Someone help me understand this: Once Junaid Khan warned Amla about taking a long lead from the non-striker's end, why did Hafeez not run him out the second time? I thought the one warning is enough and after that the run out is fair. Hafeez after dropping Amla should have Mankaded Amla, unless there is a change in rules of which I am not aware.

on March 17, 2013, 16:23 GMT

Afridi to need to open the innings as i have said earlier , we dont need proof for Afridi's batting or bowling talent its evident from his performance . Pakistan has good batting team there was also good game plan but as said many times change the batting order! put Afridi as opener when you have such good talent in your team why not use that properly? moreover younis should be just one up from shoaib malik . Batting order is the key for pakistan batting you get the wright as i have written you will simply win the Series !

Travian.Cricket
on March 17, 2013, 16:18 GMT

@Uk2009 . Get rid of Afridi ? He performs once in a blue moon but when he does ...

Indianpunjabi
on March 17, 2013, 16:18 GMT

Pakistan are yet to Win a Bilateral ODI Series Vs South Africa...They Always failed vs SA

on March 17, 2013, 16:18 GMT

good game of cricket. Well played by SA.

Paksitan could have a chance but too many soft and unnecessary shots for dismissals. Jamshed Kamran, younas, malik & misbah unnecssary. not much support for Afridi. misbah didnt need to attack when afridi hitting them big. same goes with others.

Afridi played a hell of an inings but may be too much carried away. with RRR in control should have played more sensibly but good effort though. may be it was too much to ask from him.

wahab scored some runs but his his main job was bowling and he gave away 93 there.

Won toss and bowlers didnt backed that decision of misbah. Wahab was rubbish, hafeez, afridi all were expensive.

Ab played a brilliant knock here. his was more good than amla as amla got a chance or 2.

on March 17, 2013, 16:17 GMT

At 7th position no one can do boom boom, but he did it today

pkXI
on March 17, 2013, 16:16 GMT

A wonderful match...AB and Amla preformed very well. Especially great batting by Afridi. It's been a while.

on March 17, 2013, 16:12 GMT

"I don't know why my Pak bros are criticising Afridi? That is a comeback series for him and he has done good with the bat in these 3 maches....And even Pakistan has done fair enough in this series so far....You must have to support your team..Your team hasn't played any foreign series in the last years; so it is quiet obvious to feel troublesome in the longer format of the game but in the shorter format I must say they will make it tough for Sa in every match and even in this match the things were not very easy for Sa even after the mamoth total they set on the board. ..So I must say to Pak supporers to keep faith on their team!"..

salmann810
on March 17, 2013, 15:52 GMT

All the teams are preparing for future....Do we all really think that we can win the world cup like this??Can we rely on them??We need batting talents rather than seniors..Its not the world cup let the talent grow..Dont waste them

uk2009
on March 17, 2013, 15:43 GMT

Message for the Pakistani coach and captain: Please play imran farhat in place of shoaib malik and umar akmal in place of younis khan in the next match.

Message to the PCB: Please get rid of Kamran Akmal, Misbah, Shoaib Malik, Afridi, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Younis Khan from the ODI team after this series.

on March 17, 2013, 15:42 GMT

that shows how important in todays game is a medium pace batting allrounder to fill in as 3rd seamer. after afridi pak needed 100 off 87 balls.

pakistan do need a medium pace batting allrounder in team. if they dont want to get in razak/hamad they need to find some one else. their batting is weak and they need to balance it. they simply cant go with 4 bowlers ( 3 fast & ajmal ) they need all rounder as 3rd fast bowler.

Indianpunjabi
on March 17, 2013, 15:23 GMT

LOL afridi has done his part after 1 year and Now he is Safe for the Next 10 ODI Series :)

salmann810
on March 17, 2013, 15:21 GMT

wow great cricket pakistan..senior players are given chances to perform now after so many matches finally afridi made fifty..now he will stick for 2more years weather he performs or not. but sympathies for asad shafiq...really that is the only reason pakistan cant bat and chase big scores coz we dont play talent we play favoritism and seniors.im amazed at them who say nasir should be out really..really we dont learn lessons at all...we will have team who win by chances only.

wrenx
on March 17, 2013, 15:21 GMT

Poor fielding by Pakistan costing us. SA very lucky with no balls, Steyn in particular has overstepped several times and not been called, we could've done with the free his

on March 17, 2013, 15:16 GMT

hell of an inings by afridi but may be gone a biot too over, target was now reachable and need some sensibility now. but he was trying to hit it every ball.

good effort though and not much support from other.

its sadly over for pakistan now.

on March 17, 2013, 15:14 GMT

i hope this afridi striking blitz helping to raise money for cancer

on March 17, 2013, 15:10 GMT

Afridi put the cricket ball in the golf hole, can Tiger Woods do that!!!!!

on March 17, 2013, 14:52 GMT

after some resistance from afridi misbah partnership. a poor and unnecessary shot from misbah. now deep trouble. Afridi with injured thumb with tail . too much of task,

Some soft dismissals have hurt pakistan.

on March 17, 2013, 14:44 GMT

some sensible batting required by Afridi & misbah and some respect to steyn

I_m_AKS
on March 17, 2013, 14:37 GMT

Instead of batsmen, bowlers will score hundred for Pak!

I_m_AKS
on March 17, 2013, 14:33 GMT

Wahab Riaz has just bowled with pace and nothing else...

Feeling sad for him for missing the hundred after his 'pacy' effort!

on March 17, 2013, 14:09 GMT

it seems over for pakistan. they just folded under score board pressure. soft dismissals of younas, jamshed has effected chase and seems over now. too much to ask of afridi and misbah. with tail to follow.

Jadejafan
on March 17, 2013, 13:55 GMT

Looks like a huge defeat for old declining team Pakistan :D

on March 17, 2013, 13:49 GMT

Hafeez was playing beautifully but his wicket may turn the game. he has got good start. but after getting 7 off first 3 balls in that over may be he was too adventurous.

Poor shot by jamshed and not so good by kamran akmal.

Jamshed was really a soft dismissal.

Lot depends on misbah and younas to score quickly.

on March 17, 2013, 12:39 GMT

Misbah is good player and there are many good batting players in pakistan team , pakistan can win

on March 17, 2013, 12:29 GMT

@faraz khan
I totally agree with you. Pak shld select players like shehzad and U akmal etc because thy can atleast score quickly unlike misbah and yunus who take forever to score the same number of runs. WTH was Misbah thinking during the toss. this is the ground where SA chased 400 something against Aus which shows how good this pitch is for batting.

on March 17, 2013, 12:22 GMT

Pak is even not capable of made AB's 128...they are one of the bad chaser...but dont know why misbah bowls first....they will lose this match more than 200 runs...and series go to SA 4-1

on March 17, 2013, 12:22 GMT

i think we should replace misbah,younis,malik and bring ahmed shezad, hammad and haris shoail

on March 17, 2013, 12:22 GMT

i dont understand whats the rush , even 400 on this pitch is do-able. Pak just put your batting wright and have batting plan , clear mind set and good batting order. Afridi should open the innings and the rest of the batting order should be quite the same with younis batting lower the order preferably.

We Hope to Allah that Pakistan Will win this Match INSHAALLAH.
344 is a big traget but this pitch is flat and Very good for batting Pakistan have some talent to show. best of luck Pakistan

on March 17, 2013, 12:14 GMT

Afridi and Akmal should bat on top, they both cannot do anything at down position...

Misbah or Malik should be one down to save wicket from 1 end...

cricket987
on March 17, 2013, 12:14 GMT

pakistan can not bat to save the nation!!! im sorry to say but they need india for batting practise!

on March 17, 2013, 12:13 GMT

wahab riaz what a joke hahaha. how can you ball the same ball over and over, and not even try any yorkers or slow balls, just the same stupid line and length and 100 wides and how he got to finish his 10 overs is beyond me. misbah you are really not a good captain at all.

Imad.Bilgrami
on March 17, 2013, 12:06 GMT

Pathetic performance. Worst bowling and fielding did the rest. This match is lost for sure.....

on March 17, 2013, 12:03 GMT

what about the Afridi (LALA) progress??? Afridi bhai should b open the inning with hafeez...... and first in first 10 overs score should be 90 then pak achieve the target...........

SOLYPK
on March 17, 2013, 12:01 GMT

Brillant, Brillant, Brillant, Great South Africa have done Great Cricket. Wish Good Luck. Salam to All Pakistan for South Africa

on March 17, 2013, 11:58 GMT

A.B You Beauty..u r jus awesome..And FAF also

on March 17, 2013, 11:58 GMT

South Africa 343/5; Amla 122, Villiers 128 and Du Plesis 45 from just 19 balls.
Well played
>>>>>>>>

pull_shot
on March 17, 2013, 11:55 GMT

recently read in cricinfo wahab riaz is hungry may for runs .........

on March 17, 2013, 11:46 GMT

South Africa Should declare and let Pakistan bat they cant even get 190 and 300+ is a dream so declare and make new world record by declaring in ODI, Misbah you can't bat yourself and none of the other 10 can bat for more then 5 overs so who told you to field first by winning the toss?

I see SA wining this match by 150+ runs thanks to our misbah, its time we replace these oldies and bring in ahmad shahzad and hamad azam,,

I just dont get it the selectors of Pakistan do you think that ahmad shahzad and players like him cant score 10-20 runs that yunus khan scores? if they can then why not get rid of yunus and same goes for misbah and co,, whats the point carrying these passengers when youngsters can score at least what they can but at better run rate and when we lose its not as humiliating.

on March 17, 2013, 11:36 GMT

@inings break: poor bowling from pakistan.won the toss and bowlers didnt support that decsion. and in the end proved a bad decision. afridi wahab & hafeez very expensive.

Well played by Amla & AB. Ab inings was more good as AMla got 1 or 1.5 chances whereas Ab was free and great.

Amlas drop has cost pakistan loads here. was dropeed at 34 at 74/2 and added on 88 more in big partnership. you cant give worlds best batsman chances.

A big total and pakistan will have to bat very very very well to chase this down. will be very difficult though for this pakistan batting lineup.

on March 17, 2013, 11:34 GMT

Well done SA. Pakistan will loose this match , thay cant and will never chase runs above 250

on March 17, 2013, 11:16 GMT

pak needs to change batting order to have even slightest of chance,,,, 1)afridi 2) akmal 3) hafeez 4) nasir, 5) shoaib, 6 younus 7) saed ajmal 8)misbah ormaybe misbah should come at 11 would be best for pak

And why was replacement for Injured Irfan not allowed? biased billy bowden as usual... hafeez dropped cost pakistan and akmal as usual cant catch even if his life depends on it. As for wahab he is worse then school boy why didnt they pick abdur rehman instead.

on March 17, 2013, 11:08 GMT

n now after 41 overs the same tragic story for Pak is there for all to see...both Amla n AB notching up centuries with RR soaring well above 6 rpo....providing enough fuel for (as usual) for PAK supporters to pull their (own) head hairs

Younis your time is up you had great talent now its gonr time to hang up the boots or come to the party

on March 17, 2013, 10:17 GMT

No.1 and No.2 batsman are playing extremely well and making Pakistan out of this match. Mediocre bowling from waste Pakistan bowlers. Pakistan team get ready for biggest defeat today as no one can help you from defeat. At present Pakistan bowling is worst than Bangladesh and Pakistan team is comparable to CLUB team. Poor fielding, wayward and loose bowling and worst batting signifies Pakistan team. Pakistan team plays only for defeat

on March 17, 2013, 10:12 GMT

Amlas drop by hafeez is now costing pakistan much and many more. dropped at 34 .

you cant give such a great batsman 2nd life.

on March 17, 2013, 10:06 GMT

Amla and AB in attacking mood and smashing Pakistan bowlers to all corners of the ground. SA is set for big score of 300 and above. Pak is going to lose this match by big margin. Come on SA thrash Pakistan heavily.

on March 17, 2013, 10:02 GMT

Don't know how de villiers scores runs so freely. Very good against spinners and fast bowlers. South Africa's run rate increase in the middle overs shows the ineffectiveness of our spinners in South Africa, All depends on Irfan and Ajmal ... they need to get Amla and devilliers out before his half century....

on March 17, 2013, 10:00 GMT

The two dropped catches in one over was a very big disaster for Pakistan . Thefirst one was by Hafeez an easy catch . Hafeez is normally a god fielder . The second dropped catch an even easier one was by Kamran Akmal . He continues to confirm that his title of being the world,s worst wicket keeper is well deserved one. Why his selected is one of the biggest mystery of Pakistan cricket .

on March 17, 2013, 9:59 GMT

Lets see whats to reveal. at the moment its SA steadied by Amla n AB..after 27 overs...cricket is an amazing as well as funny sport...n frequently tragic for Pakistani supporters....tragic in terms of cricketing an non-cricketing terms both...lol

on March 17, 2013, 9:55 GMT

Love this new change-up of colors by SA. It adds freshness to the game.

Bongz77
on March 17, 2013, 9:39 GMT

I maintain that Smith should have been replaced by De kock at the top of the order. They should persist with this kid because he has genuine potential. When fit, Duminy should come in at 3. I still prefer Morris ahead of Mclaren for he is a wicket taker and a better finisher with the bat.
Add De Lange and Morkel for the extra pace in place of Kleinfeldt and Tsotsebe and then we have have more or less our best side.

biased commentary at TV, junaid aborted his delivery and showed sportsmanship by not getting Amla out when he was backing up. But instead tv presenters saying oh junaid was trying to get into amla's skin. instead of appreciating they are talking like this.
Well junaid should have run him out as new icc rules say so.

on March 17, 2013, 8:18 GMT

good to see gul sitting out though due to injury instead of drop. he was too in effective in 2 odis.

Again bowling 1st. 50-50 for pak, hope the bowlers supports misbahs decision to bowl 1st. they may need to repeat the bowling performance they did in 2nd.

on March 17, 2013, 8:17 GMT

The person to drop was Younis Khan who has been a passenger and non performer for more than three years now . Asad Shafiq is a good replacement for Younis Khan and should be given opportunity .

cric925
on March 17, 2013, 23:33 GMT

It was a great game that provided entertainment for the crowd. Only one thing separated both the teams: FIELDING. While SA were brilliant, Pakistan were as poor as most of the time they are. Sometimes one wonders if this team really has a fielding coach at all!!. their batting is no different, a few barks but no real bite, except, of course, BOOM BOOM Afridi who lived up to his reputation and played gem of an inning that he CAN play more often than he has done recently. He could have won the match for Pak if he had used his head properly. If he had stayed for a few overs more, the match was in his grasp. Seriously, Afridi needs a psychologist (no joke) to teach him how to play according to the situation. He pulled the team out of the crisis and brought it close to the finish line..he only needed to stay there till end. He must be taught to believe HE CAN DO IT only by using his head properly and by staying at the wicket. He had already scored a lot of runs in the over he got out.

msdhoni123
on March 17, 2013, 20:15 GMT

Amla and de Villiers probably the best 2 batsman in world cricket but also they 2 most underrated players. Everyone always talk about there clarks,dhoni,cook,sangakarra being a consistent batsmen. I admit they are but Amla and AB are constsistment in every format they play in. When they score the score big. Plus the aint no sloggers or no blockers, they keep the strike rate up in every single over. If AB and amla continue like this they will be one of the best batsmen in the world. This is coming from an Indian fan.

on March 17, 2013, 8:17 GMT

The person to drop was Younis Khan who has been a passenger and non performer for more than three years now . Asad Shafiq is a good replacement for Younis Khan and should be given opportunity .

on March 17, 2013, 8:18 GMT

good to see gul sitting out though due to injury instead of drop. he was too in effective in 2 odis.

Again bowling 1st. 50-50 for pak, hope the bowlers supports misbahs decision to bowl 1st. they may need to repeat the bowling performance they did in 2nd.

on March 17, 2013, 8:57 GMT

biased commentary at TV, junaid aborted his delivery and showed sportsmanship by not getting Amla out when he was backing up. But instead tv presenters saying oh junaid was trying to get into amla's skin. instead of appreciating they are talking like this.
Well junaid should have run him out as new icc rules say so.

unlucky Wahab and a drop by Hafeez off Amla. given a world class batsman 2nd chance..

on March 17, 2013, 9:33 GMT

whab has been very unlucky. 2 drops. 1 easy one and 1 difficult chance.

Bongz77
on March 17, 2013, 9:39 GMT

I maintain that Smith should have been replaced by De kock at the top of the order. They should persist with this kid because he has genuine potential. When fit, Duminy should come in at 3. I still prefer Morris ahead of Mclaren for he is a wicket taker and a better finisher with the bat.
Add De Lange and Morkel for the extra pace in place of Kleinfeldt and Tsotsebe and then we have have more or less our best side.

Love this new change-up of colors by SA. It adds freshness to the game.

on March 17, 2013, 9:59 GMT

Lets see whats to reveal. at the moment its SA steadied by Amla n AB..after 27 overs...cricket is an amazing as well as funny sport...n frequently tragic for Pakistani supporters....tragic in terms of cricketing an non-cricketing terms both...lol

on March 17, 2013, 10:00 GMT

The two dropped catches in one over was a very big disaster for Pakistan . Thefirst one was by Hafeez an easy catch . Hafeez is normally a god fielder . The second dropped catch an even easier one was by Kamran Akmal . He continues to confirm that his title of being the world,s worst wicket keeper is well deserved one. Why his selected is one of the biggest mystery of Pakistan cricket .